Southern Caribbean, question about beaches and lunches

[SoberJulie]

First time cruisers, doing the southern Caribbean (Leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao)

We are really just looking to hold down some beach chairs during our port times....

do all of the beaches around ports have restaurants for lunch? Do you pack something to take with you from the ship? 

 

[1025cruise]

Packing something from the ship is a major no-no. While not a beach bum, I believe most beaches will have some form of shack for a quick lunch.

[Cruising Golfer]

You really shouldn't take food from the ship, I believe against the law.

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a place to just chill.

Enjoy

[SoberJulie]

7 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

Packing something from the ship is a major no-no. While not a beach bum, I believe most beaches will have some form of shack for a quick lunch.

Good to know! 

Hubby is a type 1 diabetic and needs to carry some type of food/carb with him at all times....so I guess I’ll pack granola bars or something from home. 

 

[Underwatr]

Commercially packaged snack bars are permitted off the ship. Other items "from home" probably aren't.

[OCruisers]

Just make sure food items you're taking are packed and sealed by the manufacturer.

You would enjoy going to the Ports of Call board here on Cruise Critic and checking under each of your port stops to see what others have done in each of them.  

[leaveitallbehind]

Agree with the other responses in that the only food items that will be permitted off the ship in port are commercially manufactured items in their original packaging.  That being said, all of your ports of call will have food venues in port and near - or at - the beaches.  You should, as suggested, check the ports of call board to learn more specifics for each port.  Here is the link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

 

 

Edited November 10, 2018 by leaveitallbehind

[Underwatr]

I'm not sure that Bonaire has a beach, at least not one within an easy walk from the ship. If you can arrange a boat ride to Klein Bonaire the beach there is very nice, but there's absolutely no commerce on the island. Most people arrange a drift snorkeling trip, such as aboard Woodwind.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/9/2018 at 1:24 PM, SoberJulie said:

First time cruisers, doing the southern Caribbean (Leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao)

We are really just looking to hold down some beach chairs during our port times....

do all of the beaches around ports have restaurants for lunch? Do you pack something to take with you from the ship? 

 

that is my dream itinerary, and that's your maiden voyage! All 4 of these are great beach destinations. Make sure to do your research by going to Ports of Call, Caribbean subforum and checking out all of them for the best beaches.

 

We usually grab some Fruit loops for the kiddo for a snack, but we usually come back to the ship around 1-2 pm, so we have no need to pack any food for ourselves. Some destinations don't allow fruit or veggies, but for others some pastries and a bottle of water was a good hold-me over snack.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/10/2018 at 12:51 AM, Underwatr said:

I'm not sure that Bonaire has a beach, at least not one within an easy walk from the ship. If you can arrange a boat ride to Klein Bonaire the beach there is very nice, but there's absolutely no commerce on the island. Most people arrange a drift snorkeling trip, such as aboard Woodwind.

Lac (Luc) Bay on Bonaire was paradise. It also had a nice bar with food there. Not much of a sandy beach, but we spent about 5 hours in the water. It was glorious.

[SoberJulie]

3 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

that is my dream itinerary, and that's your maiden voyage! All 4 of these are great beach destinations. Make sure to do your research by going to Ports of Call, Caribbean subforum and checking out all of them for the best beaches.

 

We usually grab some Fruit loops for the kiddo for a snack, but we usually come back to the ship around 1-2 pm, so we have no need to pack any food for ourselves. Some destinations don't allow fruit or veggies, but for others some pastries and a bottle of water was a good hold-me over snack.

I’m incredibly excited! 

Ive just been researching all our ports and making notes....I think we’ll likely try and take the water taxi to Klein in Bonaire, it looks lovely. I’m really looking forward to some snorkeling. Nothing too intense....just from the beach. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 minute ago, SoberJulie said:

I’m incredibly excited! 

Ive just been researching all our ports and making notes....I think we’ll likely try and take the water taxi to Klein in Bonaire, it looks lovely. I’m really looking forward to some snorkeling. Nothing too intense....just from the beach. 

just be aware that while Klein Bonaire is a perfect snorkeling place, it's an uninhabited island with no amenities.

But I hear it's beautiful. Our friends went there with their kids - they love snorkeling.

 

We went to Lac Bay on Bonaire and fell in love with the place. Shallow, calm water for about a mile, perfect for walking through, or bobbing on an inflatable, or just leisurely floating. Perfect for kids as well.

 

All the beaches in Aruba are free and public, no charge for chaises or umbrellas. We went to the Butterfly Farm first, and then simply walked across the street, walked through the hotel to the beach, got a couple of chaises in a palm tree shade and it was glorious and free. The water was great, sand was white, it was quite beautiful.

[SoberJulie]

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

just be aware that while Klein Bonaire is a perfect snorkeling place, it's an uninhabited island with no amenities.

But I hear it's beautiful. Our friends went there with their kids - they love snorkeling.

 

We went to Lac Bay on Bonaire and fell in love with the place. Shallow, calm water for about a mile, perfect for walking through, or bobbing on an inflatable, or just leisurely floating. Perfect for kids as well.

 

All the beaches in Aruba are free and public, no charge for chaises or umbrellas. We went to the Butterfly Farm first, and then simply walked across the street, walked through the hotel to the beach, got a couple of chaises in a palm tree shade and it was glorious and free. The water was great, sand was white, it was quite beautiful.

The butterfly farm is in my list!! 

Im so happy to hear the beach is close enough to walk to after visiting the butterflies 🙂

Thanks for the knowledge about Klein....hubby is a type 1 diabetic so we’ll need to pack lunch/snacks to bring with us. 

[originolsin]

I would really consider taking a tour in Curacao, along with beach time.  Really worth getting into the mountains a bit, seeing the jungles and then hangout on the beach after lunch.  Whereas, Aruba is a desert and I would spend the entire day on the beach.  Just my 2 cents, another person might be happier spending the day in a casino in Aruba.

[cb at sea]

There will be food ashore....perhaps not ON the beach, but nearby.  You'll enjoy getting out of the sun for a bit...the sun is quite FIERCE in the Caribbean!

[Rala]

On November 10, 2018 at 12:51 AM, Underwatr said:

I'm not sure that Bonaire has a beach, at least not one within an easy walk from the ship. If you can arrange a boat ride to Klein Bonaire the beach there is very nice, but there's absolutely no commerce on the island. Most people arrange a drift snorkeling trip, such as aboard Woodwind.

We just returned from a cruise with this exact itinerary.  From what we saw on our tour there is not much  at all to see on Bonaire.  The snorkeling and scuba is great from what we heard, but other than that, the beaches are pretty rocky and there were  very few restaurants or beach areas.  We stopped at one called Sorayon(something like that) and seemed a little seedy to me.  I was not impressed.  YMMV   ;-)

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/9/2018 at 1:58 PM, SoberJulie said:

Good to know! 

Hubby is a type 1 diabetic and needs to carry some type of food/carb with him at all times....so I guess I’ll pack granola bars or something from home. 

 

didn' realize I already replied... :)

Edited December 13, 2018 by Itchy&Scratchy